Another Plan B

SO sore today!  Feels great. :-)

And... again I didn't get up early enough to spin before work, so I went this evening.  No problem, got it done.  Ran a couple errands on my way home, too, so I haven't been able to do the tree yet.  Fortunately, if my calculations are correct - PLEASE let my calculations be correct! - we'll be finishing work early tomorrow so I can decorate then  Yay!

Strength Training 101

Well, no surprise, but I didn't make it to the gym this morning.  I wasn't worried, though, since I had the evening to make up for it.  Unfortunately, it was raining when I was getting ready to head to Fleet Feet, so I bagged that plan.  I cleaned up around the house a little to get ready for the Christmas decorations, then went to the gym.  At some point, the rain had turned to snow, though, and everything was white when I stepped outside!  So pretty!

The gym was pretty empty and quiet, and it felt good to get back to lifting again.  I know it'll be good for me, I just need to stick with it!  I followed the Body for Life plan, starting with my upper body.  Then I did my abs, too, since I was still waiting for Derek to get to the gym.  I saw him come into the building just as I was finishing up, which was perfect, except that I didn't have any time in the pool alone before we started our "lesson."  But that's o.k.  Helping him was my priority tonight, and I still feel really good about the workout I did get.

Back At It

So, last Monday, I ate great, worked out, and set a goal of losing one pound by today, even with Thanksgiving.  Well...  let's just say... epic fail.  I didn't work out any more last week (unless you count walking around for six hours during all the Black Friday sales), and I pretty much ate whatever I wanted.  And I gained a half pound.  But now I'm more motivated than ever.  I've got to get going on this!

Today I ate great again, and I made it back to spin class tonight.  Derek and I were supposed to go for our second swim lesson as well, but neither of us felt like it.  So we came up with a new plan, which I think I like even better: we're going to go to bed early.  Like, soon.  And we're going to get up early and go lift in the a.m.  Then we're going to meet at the gym for a swim tomorrow night after his classes.  He may try to get some other cardio in first, in which case I'll do some laps of my own before he joins me in the pool, and I may also go run with Fleet Feet before that, if this incessant rain finally quits.  But I won't hold my breath on that one...

Anyway, I'm hoping that by getting up early tomorrow, I'll be able to continue the rest of the week.  And if I can spin Wednesday morning, then I'll have all evening to decorate for Christmas!  High hopes for this week. :-)

It Begins Again...

As I mentioned, I really enjoyed my day in Florida.  When Derek asked me, just minutes after I finished, if I was going to do it again, I think I said, "Yeah... probably!"  Originally, I thought I'd only do one, but I enjoyed it so much, I didn't want that to be it!

But we had also talked about trying to start making babies next year, so I thought I'd at least take some time off.  Till two days after IMFL, on the way home, when Derek started talking about how HE wanted to try one.  And then I got excited to start another Ironman journey, especially if I could do it WITH him this time.

Unfortunately, we were a day too late to sign up for Florida, so we started brainstorming other options.  We knew Ironman Arizona was just two weeks away and that we could sign up the day after for next year's event.  So that became our plan.  Of course, these things sell out FAST, so we knew there was no guarantee we'd get in.  But it was still Plan A.  (Plan B was to pay extra for Ironman Foundation entries into next year's IMFL.)

Well, today was the day.  At noon mountain time, online registration would open for general entry.  Of course, hundred of athletes had already registered at the event this weekend, so who knows how many spots were even left when registration opened?  But we were poised and ready.

AND WE BOTH GOT IN!!!

It worked for me last year for Florida, and we both got in this time, too.  But there were plenty of people complaining on Facebook because they couldn't get in.  And ironman.com announced that it was sold out in less than 10 minutes.  So I guess we were pretty lucky!

I've already booked a room at the host hotel, too, since they expected to be booked within a day or two.  I'll keep looking for other options, though, since the host hotel is expensive and the rooms don't even have kitchenettes or anything.  We'll see!  But we're committed to the race anyway.

And so, training begins again!  I've taken the last two weeks off completely, though not necessarily by choice; I've had a cold almost since IMFL was over.  But tonight I went to the gym for a spin class, and we're getting ready to go back for Derek's first swim lesson.  That will be his biggest challenge.  Our other big priority right now is to lose some of this extra weight.  We probably both have 30-40 pounds to drop, which won't be easy.  But we're going to do this together, every step of the way!

Home!

Actually, I wish I were still at the beach...  Today is all about unpacking, doing laundry, going grocery shopping, etc.  But I'm so tired, I just want to sleep!  Still feeling a little under the weather, too, but I'm hopeful it won't become a full-fledged cold.  I'll just try to rest as much as possible and give my body a break for a few more days, though really I feel like I could go for a nice jog or ride any time.

I'm also going through a bit of Ironman withdrawal, which I hear is pretty normal after a big event like this, but talk of next year keeps my spirits lifted. :-)

Planning Ahead

So, we ended up spending most of the drive today talking about future races.  Because Derek wants to be an Ironman too, now. :-)  Since you have to sign up a year in advance in most cases, our only option for next year would be Arizona, if we can get in the day after this year's race in a couple weeks.  That would be a REALLY long drive!  But it would be an awesome adventure, and it would be nice to travel somewhere new and try a different course.  So I think that's our plan at this point, though we want to pray about it before diving in because it would mean putting off making babies and the possibility of going on a short-term mission trip next summer...  And it would have to be instead of the vacation we were hoping to take next year.  Wow!  But I'd be SO excited to train together for it!!!

Anyway, we made it to Tennessee today, and we should have about five hours to get home tomorrow.  Just in time to vote and get Derek off to class!  Unfortunately, my throat hurts pretty bad and I'm afraid I might be getting a cold... :-(

Feeling Surprisingly Good!

I didn't sleep great, up every hour to pee and drink more water.  But I felt pretty good this morning!  I was surprised (and thrilled) to find that after sleeping with my funny sock thing on last night, my foot didn't hurt any worse today than if I'd just run a couple miles yesterday.  Woo-hoo!  I have some chaffing from the wetsuit and some pretty painful saddle sores, but most of me escaped unscathed.  My body is tired, but I can walk, and I actually feel pretty good!  I'm more stiff than anything, so I'm trying to keep moving.  I should be back to normal in no time! :-)

First on the agenda today was IHOP.  Which actually turned into Bob Evans.  Regardless, YUMMY.  I was so hungry!  And it was cool to see so many Ironmen at the restaurant.  No wonder the wait was so long!

Next up on the agenda: tattoo!  Megan met us at the shop at noon, and we were out of there by one.  The actual tattooing part only took 15 or 20 minutes.  It didn't hurt too bad at first but got a little worse as she made her way back onto my achilles.  Still, not too bad.

And it looks pretty cool!

Not EXACTLY as I'd designed it, so I might want to have it touched up once it heals, but we'll see.  It still looks pretty awesome!!!

After that, we swung by the Ironman store to check out the finishers' gear.  I'd seen a bunch of people walking around with a certain jacket, and I thought I just might have to get one.  They were sold out of that jacket (pretty popular, I guess!), but they were taking orders.  But I got lucky: since it was almost closing time, they said I could just have the sample jacket in my size rather than having to order one and pay an additional $15 for shipping.  Sweet!

Back to the condo for a nap, then out for the most delicious pasta dinner at Sweet Basil's.  Seriously!  Why couldn't we have discovered this place days ago?!?

Well, better get to bed soon, 'cause we're supposed to leave first thing in the morning.  It's going to be a long couple of days home to Cincinnati!